Autumn Song

I wake and I am huddled under the covers, because overnight it has gotten really chilly, and in honor of this first cold morning, the one I’ve been waiting for, I queue up Van Morrison’s Autumn Song. If I were a bit more clever I would have had this song play when you opened this post, instead of having you head over to YouTube. I hope you’ll let it play as you read this. It’s a long one (the song, not the post).

October may be my favorite month, and autumn my favorite time of year. I understand that doesn’t make me special, according to a gallup poll fall is the second favorite season in the US, and October the second favorite month. Autumn makes me think of Van Morrison, and soups and stews and braising and fires, and apples and squash. I have spent the majority of the past five months being too hot, and I am relieved to put on a sweater, and close a few windows. I can can turn my oven on without worrying about how hot it will make the rest of the house. 

So I sing you an autumn song in the form of a lovely, warming braise of lamb with French lentils. This dish can be for two, eight, or even more if you have a large enough Dutch oven. It is easy to expand it; most of the work is done ahead of time, and once you put it in the oven your work is complete. It is a great one-pot meal, that can be elegant enough for company, and this is the perfect dish to make extra so you can enjoy leftovers for lunch tomorrow. 

French lentils are small and green, also called Puy lentils, because they were originally grown in the volcanic soil of Puy in France, though now they are grown in the US as well. They are pretty, and green, and look like tiny turtle shells. They are perfect for a braise because they won’t disintegrate like brown lentils, and have more flavor to stand up to whatever they’re cooked with. I bought mine on the bulk section of Whole Foods Market for $3.49 a pound.

Braising is the original slow-cook method, before the slow-cooker became a ubiquitous household item. By using a heavy, lidded pot, or Dutch oven, you can brown in the same pot you’re going to cook in, and the cooking time is closer to two rather than eight hours. You can adapt any braise recipe to your slow-cooker, by first browning the meat (or main ingredient) in some fat, then using liquid to deglaze the pan and get the fond from the bottom of the pan, and transferring that to your slow-cooker, adding the remaining ingredients and hitting start.

If you’re a regular reader you know I’ve been struggling to master my slow-cooker, and I often default to either my Dutch oven, or my pressure cooker. Now that the cool weather is here I’ll be taking on my slow-cooker again, but in the meantime, here is my recipe for a fabulous, one-pot simple/elegant lamb shank braise. I hope you enjoy it!

If you want to help me out, please tell me your favorite slow-cooker dish! 

Braised Lamb Shanks and French Lentils

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Serves	2
Prep time	1 hour
Cook time	2 hours, 30 minutes
Total time	3 hours, 30 minutes
Meal type	Main Dish

Ingredients

• 2 lamb shanks (six to eight ounces each)
• 12oz green or French lentils (a scant 2 cups)
• 1- 28oz can of crushed tomatoes (I use San Marzano)
• 1/2 Large sweet onion (sliced thin)
• 2 cloves garlic (smashed)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1-2 teaspoon kosher salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 3 tablespoons safflower oil (or other oil suitable for high heat)

Directions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 257F Using some of the salt called for, salt and pepper the shanks Heat the oil in a heavy lidded pan or Dutch oven, and when oil is shimmering add the shanks

Step 2

Brown shanks on all sides, this will take 10-15 minutes Remove to a plate, and turn heat down to low

Step 3

Add crushed red pepper and cinnamon to pot, and stir until spices are fragrant (be careful not to inhale over the pot!), add garlic, and stir until garlic starts to crisp, turn heat to medium-high and add onions, stir until onions are starting to crisp, don't allow to get too brown, monitor heat and keep stirring

Step 4

Once onions are crispy (about 10 minutes) add chicken stock and stir well, bring to a simmer and add lentils to pot, stir, and allow lentil to cook for about ten minutes over medium-high heat. Add tomatoes to pot, rinsing can with about 1/2 cup of water to get all the tomato out.

Step 5

Bring mixture to a boil, stir well, and add shanks back to pot Cover and put into oven for 90 minutes

Step 6

After 1 1/2 hrs turn shanks over, and return pot to oven for another hour. Lamb should be falling off the bone.